Colters' Lady (Colters' Legacy #2)(50)

“Jesus, and the dads allowed this?” Seth whispered.

“They look pretty amused.”

Amidst giggles and calls of encouragement, Lily struck another outrageous pose, and at the same moment, her gaze lifted and she saw Seth and Michael in the doorway.

Color rushed to her cheeks, and for lack of a better word, she looked appalled. She stumbled, then righted herself and quickly plopped into a chair across the couch from their mom and Callie.

The dads began clapping, perhaps to break up the awkward moment. Lily whirled to see them standing in the doorway, and her face only got more crimson.

Then she buried her face in her hands and let out a groan.

Callie hurried from the couch, shoved into the chair with Lily and slung an arm around her shoulders. She hugged her tight and then glared at first the dads and then Seth and Michael.

Holly stood, but from all appearances, she was more than a little tipsy. She waved her glass in the dads’ directions and scowled.

“Go away. We’re having girl time here. The last thing we need is a bunch of Neanderthals interfering.”

“Even if the Neanderthals have cooked dinner and have it ready to eat on the table?” Adam drawled.

Holly hesitated, wobbled a little and then said, “It depends on what you cooked.”

“Good answer, Mom,” Callie crowed.

“We might have grilled steaks, baked potatoes and all the fixings,” Ethan said in a casual manner.

“Good enough for me,” Callie said as she rose. “Ready to eat, Lily?”

Lily tried to stand and promptly plopped back down. Then she giggled and rubbed a hand over her eyes as if trying to clear the cobwebs. Holly tried to go over to help her, but nearly stumbled over the edge of the carpet.

“For God’s sake,” Ryan muttered as he hurried forward to steady Holly. He looked up at Seth and Michael. “You might want to come help Lily to the table. I think they tried to see how much wine they could drink before they started puking.”

Seth chuckled and started toward Lily while Ryan helped Holly toward the kitchen.

“Hey, what about me?” Callie demanded.

Michael tweaked her on the nose. “The day you can’t hold your liquor is the day I check you into the hospital.”

She rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen after the others.

Lily still looked embarrassed and sat quietly at the kitchen table as the dads set the table and dished up the large steaks.

Everyone had taken their seats and were about to dig in when Dillon hollered from the front door.

“In here, son,” Adam called.

Dillon entered the kitchen and sniffed appreciatively. Then his gaze settled on Lily, and without saying anything further to anybody, he headed straight for her, inserted himself between her chair and Michael’s and kissed her long and hard.

“Everything go okay today?” he murmured.

She smiled and nodded and Dillon reluctantly pulled away from the table to go take a seat down at the end.

Holly cleared her throat and everyone looked in her direction. “I just want to say, before we all eat, how wonderful it is to have my family home again. I miss my children when they’re gone.”

“And a big welcome to the newest addition to our family,” Adam said as he held up a glass in Lily’s direction. “To Lily.”

“To Lily!” the rest chorused.

Lily looked as if she was battling tears. Her eyes glistened, and she raised her table napkin to wipe at her face several times.

Dinner…was just like old times. Loud. Boisterous. Seth was a little worried at first that they’d overwhelm Lily, but she looked to be enjoying herself as her gaze bounced back and forth between the noisy conversations.

Seth’s homecoming dominated the dinner conversation. Though his mom had been the most vocal, it was obvious that his dads were every bit as thrilled that he was coming home. Adam smiled every time he looked in Seth’s direction, and he wrapped an arm around Holly and held her close as they surveyed the gathering at the table.

At one point, Adam leaned over to kiss the side of Holly’s head and murmured something in her ear. Her face lit up, and she smiled down the table, her face glowing in happiness.

Seth looked to his brothers and found the same satisfaction on their faces. The same contentment. Only Callie seemed withdrawn, her smile strained. He could see the shadows under her eyes and faint pain in the depths.

It had to be hard when everyone else was so happy and she was dealing with whatever had driven her to seek refuge.

“Are you ladies sober enough to make it back into the living room?” Ethan joked.

“Oh we’re fine,” Holly said in exasperation.

“Hate to eat and run,” Seth said as he rose. “But we really need to get on the road. The snow was coming down pretty hard and we don’t want to get stranded.”

“It might be better if you stayed over,” Adam said, concern darkening his voice. “It’s after dark and it’s been snowing for a while now.”

“We’ll take Michael’s Jeep and leave mine and Seth’s trucks here,” Dillon said. “We have a lot to talk about and work out. We’ll visit again soon.”

Dillon stood and walked to stand behind Lily. He clasped her shoulders and rubbed gently. “You ready?”

She glanced up at Seth and then Michael and nodded.